Answers to Friday 5 for December 3: The work of the child – http://f.riday5.com/2021/12/03/friday-5-for-december-3-the-work-of-the-child/

1. What musical instruments have you played?

Like I know what I’m doing? Never nothing. We did have one of those kid’s electric cheapish pianos when I was growing up, but it wasn’t something I was interested in – I didn’t like the sound it made – and I didn’t learn anything, except maybe do-re-mi-so. When I was 12-15 years old, I would have been interested in learning at least some quitar at school, but the music teacher didn’t allow us to touch the instruments in the music class room – only the ones in the band/choir were allowed, not us regular students. She didn’t teach us anything except music history and some singing, and wasn’t excited to do that either – again, we were just the regular students, not her special kids. This was the same teacher who was put to teach me, my friend and one other person the alternate thing (elämänkatsomustieto, which the dictionary gives translation to as “ethics”) to religion, and she forgot our planned lessons completely about a dozen times, instead giving extra lessons to her special band/choir kids when she was supposed to be teaching us. You might guess I didn’t think much of this particular teacher.

2. When do you play with your food?

I don’t think I do anymore? I just eat it until I’m done. When I was a kid, I’d play with my food when it was something I didn’t like much and I wasn’t really hungry. Now that I’m an adult and live one my own, I get to decide what to eat and when so I don’t have to play my food anymore 🙂

3. What’s your favorite stage play?

I can’t think of one. I’m not into theatre. Although Gillian Anderson was awesome in A Streetcar Named Desire which I saw a recording of last year. That’s the only one I’ve seen recently enough to remember. But I saw it & enjoyed it because Gillian Anderson, not because of the play itself.

4. What games do you play on your phone?

None. I can’t describe how deep and abiding my disinterest in games is – when I say I couldn’t care less, I genuinely mean I couldn’t care less.

5. When did you recently play it by ear?

I don’t play instruments, and I haven’t had an occasion recently to proceed at something without having at least rudimentary plan to back me up.

A couple of additional notes:

I’ve never had the extra money to put into theatre tickets/music concerts or instruments/hobby lessons as an adult (they’re all too expensive! I’ve looked), so even if there have been something I’ve been interested in seeing or trying out, I couldn’t afford it. After a few years it just became easier to not think about them because then I’d feel left out.

Re: playing by ear: the last 13 years almost nothing could be done without planning because of my illnesses, or I might end up with literally shit in my pants and no rescue, whether that’s bringing extra clothes or additional meds with me.  Even when I was healthy I preferred having some sort of vague plan no matter what we were doing; I don’t really miss doing unplanned stuff in general. I only miss not having to account for diarrhea/stomach pains/migraine attack whenever I leave my home. But all that has become business as usual, even that!